Battery anode materials: Production route
How coke becomes battery graphite in a 3,000 C furnace
What this tab covers How it is made: the main production routes or, for product families, the main product types and technologies, compared on share of supply, inputs per tonne, plant scale, yield, co-products and unit cost.Two families compete. Synthetic graphite is made from petroleum needle coke or coal-tar coke, shaped, graphitised at about 3,000 C and coated; it dominates because it lasts longer and charges faster. Natural graphite is mined flake that is spheronised, purified with acid or heat, and coated; it is cheaper but swells more. Silicon-based materials (silicon oxide and silicon-carbon) are blended in at a few percent for energy density. Hard carbon serves sodium-ion cells, and lithium titanate serves niche fast-charge uses.
Routes compared
| Route | Share of supply | Inputs per tonne | Typical scale | Yield | Co-products | Unit cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Synthetic graphite (needle coke or petroleum coke) | 92.7% of 2025 shipments (2.67 Mt, GGII) | about 1.3-1.6 t coke plus pitch, and roughly 8-14 MWh of electricity for graphitisation (indicative) | Chinese plants 50-300 kt/yr; Hunan Zhongke Shinzoom announced 300 kt in Q1 2026 (SMM) | about 60-75% on coke (indicative) | graphitisation off-gases; furnace packing coke recycled | graphitisation power is the largest conversion cost, so Chinese plants cluster in Inner Mongolia, Sichuan and Yunnan for cheap power (indicative) |
| Natural graphite (spherical, purified, coated) | 7.3% of 2025 shipments (0.21 Mt, GGII) | about 2-3 t of flake concentrate per t of spherical graphite (indicative) | Syrah Vidalia, Louisiana: 11,250 t/yr; POSCO Future M in Korea (graphite tile) | about 30-50% spheronising yield; fines sold to refractories (indicative) | fines; spent acid from purification | spherical 99.95% C, 15 micron, FOB China $2,000-2,300/t in May 2023 (Fastmarkets) |
| Silicon-carbon and silicon oxide (SiOx) composites | small; new Si-C powder over 2,000 t in 2025, forecast to double in 2026 (GGII) | silane (from silicon metal) and porous carbon (indicative) | pilot to a few kt/yr per plant (indicative) | not published | not published | many times graphite (indicative) |
| Hard carbon (sodium-ion) and lithium titanate | not published; small | not published | tens of kt/yr announced in China for sodium-ion (indicative) | not published | pyrolysis gases | not published |
How each route works
Synthetic graphite (needle coke or petroleum coke)Low-sulphur petroleum coke or needle coke is crushed, granulated with pitch, then graphitised in Acheson or box furnaces at about 3,000 C for days. The product is screened and often carbon-coated. Fast-charge grades use small, secondary-granulated particles.
Long life, fast charge, uniform quality; energy-intensive and exposed to coke supply, which GGII says tightened in 2026.
GGII (Feb 2026); SMM (Apr 2026) via graphite tile; energy indicative Natural graphite (spherical, purified, coated)Fine flake is milled into rounded particles, purified to 99.95% C with hydrofluoric acid or thermal treatment, then coated with pitch and carbonised.
Lower energy, higher capacity; more swelling, acid waste, and qualification takes years.
GGII (Feb 2026); graphite tile (Fastmarkets; USGS) Silicon-carbon and silicon oxide (SiOx) compositesSiOx is made by co-evaporating silicon and silica; new silicon-carbon is made by depositing silane gas into porous carbon scaffolds by chemical vapour deposition. Both are blended with graphite at a few percent.
Large energy gains; swelling and cost limit loading.
GGII (Feb 2026) Hard carbon (sodium-ion) and lithium titanateHard carbon is pyrolysed from biomass (coconut shells, wood), resins or pitch at 1,000-1,500 C (indicative). LTO is a titanium oxide used where very fast charge and long life outweigh energy density.
Enables sodium-ion and fast-charge niches; low energy density.
Indicative Unit economics are indicative ranges from the sources named; costs move with feedstock and energy prices, plant size and region.